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The Gbe, Xwla of Benin

The Gbe, Xwla of Benin, numbering approximately 112,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Gbe-speaking coastal people of the Benin-Togo border strip near Grand-Popo and Aneho, tracing ancestry to Tado alongside the Fon and Ewe, whose founding of coastal towns shaped the wider Phla-Phera Gbe cluster. They mostly adhere to Animism and Western Xwla Gbe is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Xwla

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Benin
People Cluster: Guinean
Primary Language(s): Western Xwla Gbe (xwl)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 112,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012353
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Pray for the Gbe, Xwla of Benin

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

95%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Western Xwla Gbe
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Gbe, Western Xwla Speakers

Media Resources in Western Xwla Gbe:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Western Xwla Gbe:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Western Xwla Gbe bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Gbe, Xwla are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Gbe, Xwla:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Gbe, Xwla of Benin

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
readIsaiah 53:6

Pray that those who have wandered far from God will be drawn back to Him, recognizing their need for a Savior and finding forgiveness and new life in Christ.

Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, "the kingdom of God has come near to you."
readLuke 10:8-9

Pray that the lost will receive messengers of the gospel with joy, turn from their sins, and be healed.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
readJohn 10:28

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have assurance of eternal life, knowing that no one can snatch them out of the loving hand of Jesus.

Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
readLuke 10:3

Ask God to raise up and send humble believers who will depend on Him as they go out like lambs among wolves to share the good news with those who need to hear it.

Gbe, Western Xwla Across Countries (ROP3 - 109658) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▲Religion
Gbe, XwlaPG012353Gbe, XwlaBenin112,000Engaged yet UnreachedWestern Xwla GbeAnimism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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